Switching Teams
by Rizzoli-Isles-69
Summary: Begins 4x8 at the wedding, missing scenes through the end of season 4, will turn slightly AU as the story progresses. Gail/Holly.
1. Chapter 1

"So it still fun getting dressed?" Gail inquired.

"What do you mean?" Holly asked, confused by Gail's question.

"Well I mean that's the most fun part of the date, is getting dressed. I mean how does it work if two girls are getting dressed together?" Gail pressed.

"I don't know, how does it work with a guy?" Holly asked, still confused.

"Well I mean, if you live together, he gets dressed first, and then you..get..dressed.. Sorry, stupid. Stupid question," Gail said, trailing off, slightly embarrassed at not having thought it through before asking.

Why did she even care? Gail didn't get embarrassed, because she never cared about what anyone else thought of her. She hated everyone. At least she thought she did, until she met Holly. Endlessly bizarre, Holly never ceased to surprise Gail with her next weird idea or action. Most recently, she had found her checking coats tonight for no apparent reason.

"What if you want to borrow a dress, or shoes, or clothes? Is that cool, do you share each others' things?" Gail pressed, fascinated by the nature of lesbian relationships and their inner workings.

"I wouldn't share your things," Holly stated, smiling at her own wit, and at how taken aback Gail was at this comment.

"What is wrong with my things? " Gail asked, affronted.

"Nothing, they're just not my style," Holly assured her, laughing at Gail's aggressiveness.

"Oh, not enough _fleece_ for you, Holly, not enough _backpacks_?" Gail spat out, narrowing her eyes. As usual, Holly didn't run away like everybody else did when faced with Gail's outright nastiness, but rather laughed and seemed thoroughly amused by her. This both annoyed and impressed Gail, and in fact was one of her favorite things about Holly. It made her stand out.

Just then, Gail realized that Holly was leaning toward her. Not too quickly, but not terribly slowly either. Before she really knew what was happening, Holly's lips were pressed against hers. Gail thought for a second to turn her head, but instead found herself returning the kiss just before Holly pulled away. When Holly did pull away, she acted like nothing had happened. Gail stared at her, but was only met with a smiling Holly telling her that she was insane.

She spaced out for a few seconds, mind buzzing about what had just occurred. She snapped out of it only when she realized that Holly had gotten up to leave.

"Sorry.. Where are you going?" asked Gail, shaking her head to clear it and looking up at Holly.

"Dancing. I kind of need to get it out of my system. Thanks, that was fun! Plus one forever!" Holly gushed, tipping her champagne bottle to Gail before leaving.

Gail sat there, staring straight ahead, stunned, confused, in shock. What just _happened_? Somehow, the kiss that had happened not two minutes ago was all a blur. She took a few minutes to sort through it. All she remembered was seeing Holly lean toward her, and experiencing internal panic, but for some reason not making any attempt to stop the kiss from happening. In fact, she thought, she might even have kissed her _back_.

She had never kissed a girl before. She couldn't help but notice how soft Holly's lips and skin were compared to the rougher texture of a man. If she was being honest with herself, she would have to admit that she liked it. Not only the softness, but the kiss itself. After a few minutes of mulling this realization over in her head, she sat up dazedly, returned the fur coat she had been wearing to the rack, and left without saying goodbye to anyone.

**A/N: I know this is very much so derived from the actual scene, but if you guys like it, I will post many more chapters and it will begin to lead to new and exciting things that we haven't seen already! Let me know what you guys think, this is the first fic I've published. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, though I do love them dearly. **

Since their shared kiss in the coat room at the wedding, Gail had only been getting more and more confused about the situation with Holly. Two days after the wedding, she had called her to hang out. When Holly had suggested the batting cages, Gail vehemently refused, but as always, Holly got the best of her and she gave in.

She felt like she had no control over the situation and it terrified her. She had realized that her feelings for her beautiful brunette friend were more than platonic. All she thought about all day was Holly. The way she smiled at her. The way she wrinkled her forehead when she was deeply concentrated while working in the lab. She even liked how much of a dork she was with her bones and her books and her adorable glasses. She couldn't concentrate on anything, and her paperwork was beginning to pile up.

Going to the batting cages wasn't as terrible as she thought it would be. It was embarrassing, sure, but she actually had a lot of fun. She felt like Holly was the only person she could really be herself around, and this realization scared her, but also comforted her. She knew that Holly wasn't judging her, and she had proven that she wasn't going anywhere. For the first time in a very long time, Gail felt secure.

When they finally left the batting cages that night, it was dark out.

"Hey, it's a nice night out, I think I'm just going to walk back to my place," Holly said, as they walked along the sidewalk toward the bus stop.

"What? No. You're not walking in the city by yourself at night. No way." Gail shook her head over and over until she felt stupid. There she was again, worried about looking stupid in front of Holly. Great.

Holly laughed and flashed that smile that always made Gail's heart beat faster. "Seriously? I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself, officer."

"I would really just feel better if you didn't. At least let me walk you home?" Gail asked, realizing that this was sounding more and more like a date with each passing minute. What was she _doing_? She was being all caring, and concerned, and.. _chivalrous_.

"If you must," Holly sighed, looking sideways at Gail. Her trademark half-mouthed smirk appeared, and it dawned on Gail that this was exactly what Holly was hoping would happen in refusing to ride the bus.

"Oh I see what you're doing. Tricking me into walking home with you so you can lure me up to your apartment and have your way with me," Gail jokingly accused, arching one eyebrow.

Holly threw her head back in laughter and clapped. "Oh good one, nice. Believe me, if I were putting the moves on you, you would know," Holly declared, looking Gail directly in the eye, "and there would be no luring necessary." At this, Gail swallowed hard and looked away. The scene in the coat room flashed through her mind again and she suddenly wondered if she really wasn't on a date for real. Everything about it screamed date. The way Holly had paid for the cages (granted, this was because Gail didn't want to go in the first place, but still), the way she had helped Gail with her stance, pressing her front to Gail's back, her larger hands covering Gail's own on the grip of the bat. She remembered the way she could feel Holly's entire body behind her, brushing up against her. A blush crept up into her cheeks when she thought of this, and she hated herself for it.

Now, as they walked up the street, after she insisted that she walk Holly home, it was unmistakably the awkward final moments of a date when neither party really knew how to act.

Suddenly, Gail felt uncomfortable. Not because she didn't want it to be a date, but because she realized that she _did_. At this point, Gail had two options: she could either act completely normal and make fun of Holly as usual, or she could press on and make it even more date-like than it already was. She decided it was probably safe to land somewhere between the two.

"So I guess that could have been worse. It didn't completely suck like I thought it would." Gail kicked at some stones on the ground, refusing to meet Holly's eye.

Holly's smirk returned. "Is that your way of telling me that you had a nice time?" It didn't go unnoticed by Holly either that their night together very closely resembled a date.

"Psh, no. It's my way of saying that I'm surprised that I didn't totally hate hanging out with someone who is as much of a lunchbox-carrying nerd as you are." She chanced a glance up at Holly, but realized that Holly was looking right at her and quickly averted her eyes.

"You know, Gail Peck, that might be the sweetest thing you have ever said to me." At this, Gail had to laugh. She gave Holly a small shove and Holly gave her a small shove back and she realized that this would probably constitute as flirting.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, each one's mind racing about what was to happen next on this pseudo-date they found themselves on. Gail's stomach flipped when she thought about the possibility of kissing Holly again. Holly wondered if Gail had even realized that she was essentially on a date with her. If Gail had been gay, Holly would have been sure that it was a date, and been sure that she was being flirted with. But Gail was straight, yet never straight-forward about her feelings, so Holly was considering if it was worth the risk or not.

"Well, this is me," Holly announced, coming to a stop in front of a rather expensive-looking apartment building. Gail looked up at the beautiful architecture, trying not to look too impressed.

"Decent place you got here." Her eyes raked back down the building and came to land on Holly for the first time in ten minutes. She looked beautiful, even dressed down with her hair pulled back. Just as she was about to express this, her words got caught in her throat and instead, she looked down at the pavement, at the other buildings, anywhere but into Holly's big brown eyes.

Realizing that Gail had been on the verge of saying something and then backing down, Holly suddenly became aware that she had in fact realized that they might as well be on a formal date. They both shuffled their feet and shifted their weight from one foot to the other.

Gail stuffed her hands in her pockets, effectively stopping herself from reaching out for Holly's hands to hold them. She needed to get out of there. Her emotions were overwhelming her. She wasn't used to feeling this way, and she wanted it to stop.

"Gail, I-" Holly started, but was interrupted by a panicking Gail.

"Sorry Holly, I gotta go. I just remembered I have this thing.." she trailed off, making a snap decision to place a hurried kiss to Holly's cheek, "thanks though, itwasfuni'llseeyoulater." Her last words came out in a surge as she turned around and rushed back down the street the way they came. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest and she felt tears beginning to sting her eyes. Before she knew it, she was sobbing, hurrying away from Holly as quickly as she could.

Holly stood there, frozen in place. She watched Gail practically run up the street, and could have sworn that she even heard the faint sound of crying. Part of her wanted to run and follow Gail. She wanted to hold her and comfort her but she knew that would send her running for the hills. So instead she stood there. She stood there for what felt like hours, cheek still burning from where Gail had kissed her.

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you guys are thinking about the story so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

By the time she had gotten back to her apartment, Gail had finally calmed down. She had attributed her breakdown to exhaustion from working so much, but deep down she knew that wasn't really the reason. She had wanted to kiss Holly back there, she had wanted to so badly, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. _She doesn't even have feelings for me, _Gail thought_. I just need to focus on my career and not on Holly. I need to stop thinking about her brown eyes, and her nerdy science facts she shares at the oddest times. The way my stomach drops to my feet when she smiles at me- Jesus! What the hell is wrong with me? _Gail didn't know how to feel about the situation. She didn't know how to _be_ this person. A person who feels such warmth and protection and care for another person. For a woman, at that.

She sighed, dragging herself through the apartment to her bedroom. She was so mentally and physically drained that she simply kicked her shoes off and crawled into bed in the clothes she had worn to the batting cages. Within minutes, she had drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The following night, Gail decided that she needed to get out of her apartment, and more importantly, get her mind off of Holly. She agreed to go to The Penny for drinks and dork trivia with King Dork, Minnie Mouse, and Diaz. Twenty minutes into the game, she was regretting her decision to come. Dov and Chloe were being mushy and gross and it was making her stomach knot itself when she thought about who she wished would look at her the way Dov looked at Chloe. Almost as if summoned by Gail's thoughts, Holly walked through the door to the turning of many heads.

Without thinking, Gail stood up, claimed that she was retiring the champion of the world, and sidled up alongside Holly at the bar. "Helloooo," she said to Holly, adding to the bartender, "can you make it two?"

Holly whirled around to find the source of the greeting, eyes widening when she saw Gail's icy blue eyes and platinum blond hair. "Hey, I didn't know you'd be here," she said, flashing Gail her best smile.

Gail explained the trivia trip Dov had been on, and suggested that she buy the first round, and Holly could get the next.

Holly suddenly wondered momentarily if she couldn't just ditch the girl she was supposed to be meeting. "Actually, I'm meeting someone." She looked into Gail's eyes, searching for some sign as to whether she'd be bothered by this or not.

"Oh. Sorry." Gail averted her eyes, foiling Holly's plan to search them for an answer.

"Don't be sorry."

"Is it like,_ someone_ someone, or just someone?" Gail was fighting to appear detached, like she was simply asking as a friend who was interested in a friend's life, and not like a woman who was desperately trying to figure out if she had missed her chance.

"I'm not sure yet," Holly said off-handedly, though she was positive that she wasn't really interested in seeing anyone but Gail. She spotted the girl as she walked into the bar. "Oh. Thanks for the drink." She raised her glass to Gail and walked over to her date, hugging her in greeting.

Gail watched this unfold, as she did her best to ignore the aching she felt inside. She sulked back to the table and made fun of Dov and Chloe to try to make herself feel better, but to no avail. Every few minutes, she glanced over toward where Holly and her admittedly beautiful date were sitting. Holly was throwing her head back in laughter and Gail was burning with jealousy. When Chris stood up and announced that he was getting another drink, she instructed him to make hers a double as she slammed her now empty glass down on the table, readying herself for a long night of drinking.

Had she known what would transpire the following day, she probably would have drank herself into a permanent stupor. Being hunted by a madman wasn't exactly on her to-conquer list, and she was on edge every second of the day. After seeing Chloe completely covered in blood and then being shot at while answering a 911 with Oliver, she was the jumpiest she'd ever been. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she was scared. Terrified, really, but Gail Peck would never let this be known.

The only thing taking her mind off the fact that her life was seriously in danger were the consistent thoughts of Holly. She tried to reason with herself. Who cares if she was out on a date with some girl? She and Holly weren't dating. Nothing had even happened between them, really. The short kiss in the coat room didn't really count, and she still wasn't sure whether the batting cage fiasco constituted as a date. As the finished adjusting her uniform, getting ready to find Oliver and head out, she looked up to find Holly walking up the hallway toward her. Her heart started beating faster and she cursed herself for being such a loser.

"Hey..? What are you doing here?" Holly never came to the station; it was always the officers that went to her if they needed something.

"Oh! I just.. had to drop off a report.. it's..murder case from a couple weeks ago." She fumbled over the excuse she had quickly formulated on her way over.

"Doesn't the courier usually bring that stuff over?" Gail asked, sensing that something was up.

"Yeah.. he was.. sick.. or something," Holly lied, realizing that Gail could see right through her.

Gail gave her the trademark "knock-off-the-bullshit-and-tell-me-the-truth" look.

"Hey, come here," Holly started, as she took Gail by the arm and dragged her into an interrogation room off of the hallway. She took one look at her and decided to drop the act and let her know why she was really there. "Is it true? I just- I heard a rumor that there's some freak out there hunting you guys." She looked genuinely concerned.

"Holly," Gail said, shaking her head, "I'm not allowed to talk about this.." Holly gave her the no-bullshit look right back, urging her to tell her what was going on.

She gave in. After all, this was Holly. "There's an officer that was shot, she's in the hospital, and.." she hesitated, glanced away, and licked her lips. "A few other officers took fire." Holly could read Gail like a book and immediately understood that when she said "a few other officers", Gail was included in that few. She began to panic.

"You mean you.. Someone _shot_ at you?!" Her voice was rising and she knew she sounded irrational and crazy, but she couldn't help it. "And, wh- and you're gonna go back out there?!"

"Yeah Holly.. I- I'm a _police officer_.." Gail said slowly, confused as to why Holly didn't understand that this was what her job entailed.

"That doesn't mean that you have to go out there and put yourself in danger!" She hated that she sounded ridiculous. She knew that Gail was only doing her job, but she was afraid for her, afraid of losing this amazing person that had just recently come into her life.

"Yeah. Kinda does." Gail stated in a near whisper.

Holly just stared at her for a second, not knowing what to say. "Oh. Okay, well.." she wiped her hand across her forehead and knocked her glasses slightly askew. "Fine. But lis- listen." She decided now may be her only chance to come clean about her date last night. "That girl last night," she swallowed nervously, hoping that she would be able to get her point across, "I barely know her, okay? It was- it was a stupid setup." Gail gave her a look like she didn't understand why she was telling her this, but she pressed on. "Well anyway, I just- I just thought you should know. I don't know why I didn't tell you, I mean, we tell each other stuff, right? That's what's so great, is us hanging out, and I.." It was beginning to dawn on Gail that Holly was trying to tell her that the girl at the bar didn't mean anything to her, it was just coming out in a jumbled mess. Gail's eyes began flicking from Holly's eyes to her lips and back up. "I guess that's why when I heard what was going on, I just thought I should come down here, and, I don't know, just make sure you're okay or something-"

She was cut off by Gail grabbing both sides of her face and pulling her into a kiss that scorched her lips. This time, it wasn't a small peck, and mouths opened and moved together urgently. After a few seconds, Gail pulled away, staying in close proximity, and looked into Holly's eyes. "I'm sorry, you just- you just had to stop talking," she breathed, in complete disbelief that she had actually just kissed Holly.

"I won't say another word," Holly whispered. At this, Gail leaned back in for another kiss, hands still cupping Holly's face in an attempt to feel in control of a situation which she had zero control over.

After saying goodbye to Holly and telling her not to worry, she stumbled out of the interrogation room in a daze.

Oliver spotted her and stopped her in her tracks. "Peck, uhh.. gonna roll outta here in about ten minutes, you cool with that?"

She hadn't really caught what he said, but she shrugged voiced her agreement anyway. Behind him, Holly waltzed out of the interrogation room and greeted Oliver with a bright smile before walking the opposite way up the hall. A few seconds too late, he realized where he knew the gorgeous brunette from.

"That's your friend from the forensics lab," he needlessly pointed out, gesturing up the hallway toward Holly. Gail panicked. Did he know?

"The courier was _sick_, Oliver.. IF YOU REALLY MUST KNOW," she snapped, rushing away.

Oliver stood there dumbfounded, as he watched Gail turn the corner and disappear.

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**A/N: Keep those reviews coming, guys! Thanks for your support and feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been a bit stressful having so many events/so much dialogue in here that you've already seen and heard in the show, but I just wanted to stay as true to the story as possible and then go from there, so this first bit is the last of the stuff you've already seen, and then we're free sailing! I hope you enjoy it. :)**

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Gail stood in the hospital waiting room, frozen in place, eyes fixed on the ground at her feet. Now it was not only Chloe, but Oliver and Sam in the hospital as well. Three officers in the hospital was three too many. Trying to get her mind off of her friends lying in hospital beds, two in critical condition, Gail switched her thoughts to something that always made her feel better: Holly.

She immediately regretted this decision. The most recent memory she had of Holly was her dejected face after she had denied her attempts to have a few moments of intimacy before she and Chris were to go out and hunt down Ford and find Oliver. Gail remembered Holly reaching out for her hands, only to have her pull them away, shaking her head in protest to this display of affection. The look on Holly's face when she realized that Gail didn't want anyone to know about whatever this was that the two of them had going on between them was heartbreaking. Gail hated herself for being so afraid, and for sloughing her off, and she wished more than anything that she could take it back.

"Hey, I came as soon as I heard." Gail's head snapped up as soon as she heard the familiar voice. "Hey," she breathed, throwing her arms around Holly and pulling her close, "I'm really glad that you're here." She tried to put all of her emotions and apologies and regret into the embrace, and hoped to a higher power that she was getting the message across. Holly held her back, breathing in the scent of her apple scented shampoo. When she held onto Holly long enough to calm down, Gail let her go, but remained standing close to her side.

'Steve, this is Holly. Chris, this is Holly," she introduced, looking from her brother to her friend that might as well be another brother. They murmured their greetings, and Gail could see in their eyes that they realized that something was up. Gail decided that at that particular moment, she didn't care. She turned to Holly and looked into her soulful, open brown eyes and had to fight the urge to kiss her right then and there.

Nearly two hours later, they still sat in the waiting room, fingers intertwined and resting in Gail's lap. Holly insisted that she stay with her, knowing that Gail wasn't alone, but wanting desperately to be a source of comfort and stability for her in this extremely difficult time. After the doctor came out and announced that only a single person was allowed in to see Sam tonight, Gail decided that there was hardly a point in her staying there any longer.

"Home," she mumbled, nearly falling asleep where she sat, head resting on Holly's shoulder.

Holly smiled at Gail's sleepy request. "Your wish is my command, officer."

The ride home was spent in perfect, yet still comfortable, silence. Gail looked out the window at the trees passing by, buildings blurring into each other as she silently thanked the universe for sending her Holly, this beautiful, caring woman that came to be by her side even after she had been pushed away earlier that same day. Every now and then, her eyes would drift shut and she would begin to fall asleep, jerking her head up as it began to tilt to the side. When they got to her apartment, it took her a few seconds to realize that they were no longer moving and the car had stopped.

She turned her head toward Holly and was met with an expectant look. For a few moments, she just looked at her, trying to read what lay in her eyes, but Holly gave away nothing. Gail opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again.

"Holly, I-"

"It's okay Gail, you don't have to say anything."

"No I do. I need to say this. Now let me get this out because I don't share feelings often, and I'm not very good at it, either. You may never see this again."

Holly simply nodded once and waited for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Gail began slowly. "Today at the station.. I was caught off-guard. I was so happy to see you, and it scared me and I shut down. I don't like people. But I like you and it makes me feel all twisty inside. And I don't know how to deal with it. And I don't know what it means yet.." She was over-sharing and she didn't recognize this version of herself. She got scared again and panicked, changing tracks mid-ramble. "..and I didn't want Steve and Chris or anybody else to get the wrong idea about what this is."

Holly had begun to smile up until the final sentence of Gail's confession. She didn't want them _to get the wrong idea_. This could really only be interpreted one way: any assumption they may have made about the two of them being more than friends would be incorrect. She also knew that the 'anybody else' that Gail had referred to was her. Holly tried to hide her disappointment as she felt tears begin to form behind her eyes.

"Right, yeah. Of course," she rushed, trying to get Gail out of the car before the tears fell. "Listen, I have to be up really early to get into work and I'm sure you do, too. Don't mention the ride, it's not a problem at all. I'll see you some other time, goodnight." She started the car back up again.

Gail looked at her pleadingly, urging her to understand, but when Holly's eyes remained locked straight ahead and refused to meet her own, she pulled on the handle and let herself out of the car without a word.

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Friday morning found Gail on desk duty, which she normally hated, but today felt like it was the only place she was mentally fit to be right now, anyway. She sat slumped down in her chair, head resting on its back, eyes fixed upon the ceiling. As much as she wanted to remain ignorant and unaware of it, she knew that she had hurt Holly. She knew that Holly cared about her as more than a friend, and what's worse is she knew that she cared about her the same way. After a fitful night of sleep, telling herself over and over that she just needed to keep her distance and steer clear of Holly to make these feelings go away, she finally stopped lying to herself and just let herself feel what she felt.

What she felt, it turned out, was a whole lot more than she had ever realized, having built that dam a long time ago. She had felt lonely since her breakup with Nick. She felt like she wasn't good enough for anyone, felt that she was never going to find somebody that was willing to stick with her through all her snarky comments and icy glares and look beyond them. But she had. She had found that in the tall, lean, dorky forensic pathologist that was Holly. No matter how many insults and nasty looks she shot at her, she was always surprised to simply receive the same treatment right back, or else be met with a laugh that made her heart skip a beat.

"Earth to Gail!" She was startled out of her thoughts by Diaz shouting her name. Embarrassed at having most likely been caught displaying the stupid grin that somehow always found its way onto her face when she thought of Holly, she shot him one of her signature looks of annoyance.

"Jesus, just because nobody _wants_ to listen to what you have to say, it doesn't mean we can't hear you," she snarled.

"Best needs somebody to go to the lab and get the results of those blood tests from the Thompson case, and I'm heading out on patrol like, right now," he relayed, ignoring her insult.

_Shit_, Gail thought, merely nodding her head and turning away. She knew she would have to deal with it eventually, but she didn't think she'd have to see Holly so soon. She released a string of expletives under her breath all the way to the morgue, having no idea how to act around Holly. Would it be awkward? Would she be angry with her? Of course she would be upset with her. How could she not be? Gail had allowed her to kiss her at the wedding. She had gone to the batting cages with her and walked her home and stood awkwardly with her outside her building before running away like she always did. She practically made out with her in the interrogation room and then refused to even be touched by her in front of her brother and Chris. And of course, there was last night, when she essentially informed Holly that there was nothing going on between the two of them. Only there was. Gail knew there was a mutual attraction, and she couldn't deny it anymore. She was done trying to.

She rounded the corner to the lab, preparing for the worst. When she walked through the doorway, Holly looked up from her work and froze for a second when she saw Gail. Then her face broke out into a huge smile.

"Oh hey, Gail, what brings you here today?" She said, smile still plastered on her face.

"Umm.." Gail murmured, confused as to why Holly would be smiling. "Just came by to get the results for the Thompson case."

"Oh, yes! Of course. I have them right here." She grabbed a file from beneath the paperwork that she was working on, and handed it to Gail.

Gail reached out slowly and grabbed it with her eyes narrowed, mind racing to read the situation, but coming up with nothing.

"Ugh! It's such a beautiful day out today, isn't it? Finally the sun is out! That cloudiness was really beginning to bum me out," Holly enthused with that stupid smile on her face that hadn't left since Gail had arrived.

_The CLOUDS were beginning to bum her out?!_ Gail thought. Not _the fact that I was playing push-pull with her?_ She was beginning to get really annoyed with Holly's inexplicable happiness. Gail had been miserable since they had parted ways last night, and here Holly was, seemingly happier than she had ever seen her. She was almost too happy. At that thought, it dawned on her that Holly was pretending to not be bothered by the situation. After carefully balancing on this finely drawn line between friendship and something more, Gail lost her balance and toppled over-

"Willyougoonadatewithme?" Gail blurted, slurring her words together and surprising even herself.

Holly's smile immediately faltered. "WHAT?"

Suddenly Gail felt extremely shy. "Um, I just.. uh," she mumbled, wringing her hands, eyes dancing around the room.

Holly simply stared. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to speak. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

"Yes."

"Like a friend date.." Holly tried to get a handle on the situation.

"No. Like a date date," Gail corrected. When Holly didn't answer right away, she panicked. "Listen, I completely understand if you don't want to. I know I've been pushing you away and pulling you back, but I'm just doing what feels right for the first time, and what feels right is-"

"Yes, Gail, I'll go out on a date with you," Holly interrupted.

Gail couldn't do anything but stand there and smile like an idiot, and Holly smiled like an idiot right back, and she could have sworn that she could almost hear the first few bricks of Gail's carefully constructed wall begin to crumble and fall.

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**Reviews are much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

The following night found Gail pacing back and forth in her bedroom in front of her closet, nearly sick with panic about what to wear, how to act, and what was to happen on this date. She had decided to play it safe with a simple dinner and movie. Or at least, she hoped it was safe. She wasn't sure how the night was going to turn out, but every time she thought of what _could_ happen, her stomach turned, and she wondered if dinner was really a good idea after all.

After throwing half of her closet onto the "rejected" pile gathering on her bed, Gail chose simple black slacks and a blue scoop-neck top that clung to her in some places and fell off her in others, but also revealed enough cleavage to be sexy. _Oh my god, what am I doing?_ she thought. _I'm making an extra effort to look sexually appealing to a woman._ She shook this thought from her head, knowing that it would cause her panic, and hurried to finish getting ready. She wasn't going to allow herself to over-think this and end up pushing Holly away again. She refused.

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Gail arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early, wanting to be there before Holly. After five minutes had passed, she realized that maybe this hadn't been the best decision. She had given herself too long a time window to get scared. All night, she had kept her anxiety at bay, forcing herself to think of other things when her mind landed on Holly. Now here she sat, legs crossed, her foot bouncing nervously. She couldn't keep her hands still, but instead kept smoothing her hair, picking at her nails, or rubbing them together. Just when she was about to lose it, she saw Holly come around the corner toward the table.

Gail shot up out of her seat at the sight of her, thinking that maybe it was a gentlewomanly thing to do to stand up as Holly approached. She wasn't sure how to do this whole _lesbian dating_ thing, but she was sure that she wanted this date to go well, whatever that meant. She was also pretty sure that Holly looked nervous as well, displaying a slightly awkward gait, like she was suddenly very conscious of her movements.

"Hey, sorry, I got stuck at the lab a little later than I thought I would, I hope I'm not late," Holly said, wrapping her arms around Gail in greeting.

"No, no, you're perfect." It was out of Gail's mouth before she realized what she was saying, and she tried desperately to take it back. "I mean, you're perfectly on time. You're good. It's.. it's good." She internally kicked herself for not thinking and for getting so obviously flustered, but Holly was finding it rather amusing.

"Don't worry, I know what you meant." Her usual smirk flashed across her face, and Gail simply trailed her eyes to the floor, blushing, and sat back down.

"I already ordered a bottle of red, I hope that's alright," Gail said, attempting to gain better footing in the conversation and not sound like such a freak.

"Red's my favorite, so that's perfect."

Gail smiled at her, but had to look away again before she said anything else that could be considered questionable. She perused her own menu for a couple minutes, deciding on a caesar salad, not because she was one of those girls that didn't like to eat actual food in front of their date, but because it was the least messy option, and she wanted to avoid making a _complete_ fool of herself.

She set her menu to the edge of the table to show that she was ready to order, and looked back to Holly, who was still weighing her options, nose buried in her own menu. Gail took this opportunity to really look at her for the first time that night. She looked beautiful. Stunning, really. Her hair fell in loose waves, and she had passed on wearing her glasses. She was wearing an outfit similar to the one she had worn to the wedding, opting for black slacks just as Gail had, but pairing them with a creme colored button-up blouse that Gail realized had been strategically unbuttoned just enough to pique her interest.

A not-so-subtle clearing of Holly's throat snapped Gail away from her not-so-subtle eye placement on Holly's chest. She blushed and averted her eyes, praying that she hadn't been caught. She chanced a glance up at Holly and saw on her face that she had in fact been caught. Holly was raising one eyebrow, one half of her mouth lifted into a mischievous grin.

Gail cleared her own throat. "Sorry, you uh.. You just look really nice."

Holly's heart melted at Gail's compliment, and at the way she was obviously riddled with nervousness for having said it. Knowing all too well that making a big deal of it would send Gail running, she responded with a simple, "Thanks, so do you."

As the minutes passed (and admittedly, the wine started flowing), Gail felt more and more at ease. They fell into their usual banter and teasing, and it all felt so natural that she began to wonder why she had been nervous to begin with. When the check came, Gail paid, not without protests from Holly, and left a generous tip.

Gail exited the restaurant, holding the door for Holly, and with the rush of cold night air also came a rush of nervousness. She began to remember all the reasons she had been worried about this date. First of all, Holly was gorgeous and smart and witty and this made her intimidating to Gail, like maybe she was out of her league. Secondly, although she'd never admit it to anyone, Gail felt self-conscious knowing that she was the inexperienced one in the situation. Holly was a lesbian, and therefore knew how to kiss a woman, hold a woman, and touch a woman. This final thought caused Gail's face to heat up and her stomach to flip.

"Thank you for dinner, it was delicious," Holly said, trying to break the silence that had settled in since they had begun walking up the street toward the movie theater located a few blocks away.

"Of course, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Gail racked her brain for something more clever to say. "I'm sorry that they couldn't serve it to you in a lunchbox."

Holly threw her head back and laughed her tinkling laugh, making Gail grin from ear to ear in spite of herself. That laugh made her happy. Seeing Holly happy in general made her happy, and it was quite the odd experience for Gail. She never much cared about other people's happiness. She was more concerned with shooting them nasty remarks to make them stay away from her, but with Holly, it was different. Everything was different with her.

As they were walking alone, Gail felt a warm hand brush up against hers and looked down. Though she hadn't realized it, Holly had been inching closer and closer to her as they made their way up the street. Now, she was close enough that they were nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, hands lightly knocking against each other with every step. When Holly didn't move after the first few times this happened, Gail thought that maybe Holly wanted her hand held. She didn't let herself think about it for too long before she slipped her hand into Holly's, intertwining their fingers.

She wasn't used to being in this position and found it oddly intimate. She was about to retract her hand when Holly gave it a light squeeze and looked down at Gail smiling. Images of the night following the batting cages flooded Gail's mind, and she decided to try to explain her odd behavior.

"Um.. that night after you tried to kill me by taking me to the batting cages.." she began, trying to maintain a lightness to the conversation. "I'm sorry that I was being so weird. I just- I was scared. Not of you, more of the situation. It felt like a date, well to me anyway, did it seem like a date to you?" she asked, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "And I was nervous and I was overwhelmed because I-" Gail stopped abruptly before letting slip what she had been about to say. She continued to walk on in silence as if she hadn't just been rambling in apology.

Holly gave her hand another small squeeze to urge her on, but was only met with more silence. "Because you.." she pressed, genuinely wanting to help Gail figure this whole thing out.

Gail stopped abruptly and took a deep breath, looking Holly dead in the eye. "Because I wanted to kiss you."

Of all the things she suspected Gail might say, that was definitely not one of them. Of course, since that night, they had kissed in the interrogation room, but this confession let Holly know that Gail had been having feelings for her longer than she had realized. Her heart swelled, and she smiled down at Gail, wondering how she got so lucky as to have this beautiful, complicated girl be interested in her.

She took a step toward Gail, hoping that her next move wouldn't be too bold and send her running for the hills. "Well, as long as we're being honest about the subject, I've been wanting to kiss you all night."

Gail just looked at her with those blue eyes that pierced Holly's heart every time she looked into them. Right now, they were laced with vulnerability, and this only served to make Holly want to kiss her more. She took one more step toward Gail, completely closing the gap between them. When Gail didn't move away, Holly gently placed her hand under Gail's chin and tilted her head upward. She slowly leaned toward her, allowing her time to move if she wanted to. When she still didn't move, Holly leaned the rest of the way and captured Gail's lips in a soft, tentative kiss.

Not wanting to push, Holly pulled away after just a couple seconds, and search Gail's eyes for a reaction. She felt a wave of relief when she saw the beginnings of a smile on Gail's lips. When the smile vanished as quickly as it had come, Holly began to worry. She didn't need to worry for long, however, for Gail had begun to lean back up toward her lips, this time with a bit more confidence.

Though it began tentatively again, it gained momentum more quickly than Holly had expected. It soon became exploratory, Gail's lips pressing more urgently against her own, her hands landing on Holly's waist. Holly's hands cupped Gail's face, before one wrapped around the back of Gail's neck and the other snaked around her back, pulling her closer. When she felt Gail's tongue run along her bottom lip, a quiet moan escaped the back of her throat, and she parted her lips to grant entrance.

Their tongues dancing together was pure ecstasy, and Holly began to lose control as Gail's hands ran up and down the sides of her stomach. She spun Gail around and pinned her against the side of the building.

At this unexpected turn of events, Gail pushed Holly away, breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry Gail, I didn't mean to. I got carried away."

Gail's chest was heaving, which was doing nothing to calm Holly down. "No, Holly, I-" she began between breaths. "It's not.. that.. I just.. It's all very.. new."

"Yeah, I- I'm still sorry. I didn't mean to do anything you weren't comfortable with. I'll definitely be waiting for you to make the moves next time. I mean if there is a next time. I don't mean to be presumptuous. I just, I had a good time tonight and I hope you did too because I think you're really great and-"

"HOLLY!" Gail shouted, effectively ending her rant. "I like you. And as long as you promise not to embarrass me with your nerdiness, maybe I will allow you to take me out sometime, provided it doesn't involve any sports or dead bodies."

Holly could do nothing but laugh and replace her hand back in Gail's as they made their way toward the theater. _Yes_, she thought, _this girl is definitely worth it_.

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**A/N: Thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews. I'm so glad that many of you are enjoying the story. If there's anything you'd like to see happen, let me know and I'll do my best to provide it! Reviews, as always, are appreciated. :)  
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	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, folks. Here's the update. As an apology for taking longer than usual to update, I have prepared an extra long chapter for you with a little special somethin'-somethin'. I'm off to bed and completely exhausted. Too exhausted to re-read the entire thing to check for grammatical/punctuation/sentence structure errors, in fact, so I apologize for any in advance. I hope you enjoy!**

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Gail's phone beeped its message tone, alerting her that she had a text. Hanging in that space between sleep and wakefulness prior to this, the tone woke her up completely. She rolled over and opened her eyes , but immediately snapped them shut again. The sunlight was pouring in, brighter than it had been in weeks.

Eyes still closed, she felt around on her nightstand until she came into contact with the cool plastic of her phone case. She rolled back over, her back to the sun, and opened her bright blue eyes to the screen. As soon as she read the name, her heart jumped and she smiled.

**H:** Thanks again for last night. I had a great time with you. xo Holly

The 'x' of the 'xo' cause images of last night to flood her mind. Holly's tongue sliding over her own, hands wandering while somehow still remaining appropriate enough for public. She felt herself blush at the memory and typed off a quick reply.

**G:** I didn't have too bad a time either, I guess.

Almost immediately, a response pinged through.

**H:** Not 'too bad a time', eh? I was going to ask if you'd like to come over and join me in watching this Grey's Anatomy marathon, but nevermind. You're obviously not interested.

Gail's face twisted up into a smile. She was endlessly impressed by Holly's ability to take her sass in stride and throw it right back at her the way nobody else could.

**G:** Yeah, you're right. I'll probably just lay around here all day in my underwear and relax.

Gail sported a self-satisfied grin. She knew that this would drive Holly crazy. In fact, on more than one occasion last night, she had caught Holly stealing glances at her chest. Though at first it weirded her out a bit to be checked out by a woman, she had since decided that she loved it. It made her feel sexy. Hell, the way Holly looked at her in general made her feel sexy.

**H:** Um. You could always do that over here if you wanted..

_Bingo_. The text had yielded exactly the response she had hoped for.

**G:** Nah, that's okay. Doesn't really seem like you're much up to company anyway.

**H:** Oh, I am. I really am.

Gail laughed, knowing that she had won this battle. It was a little game they liked to play, each trying to get a rise out of the other. Sometimes Holly won, but most times Gail was the victor, having been so well-practiced in the art of sass and snark.

**G:** Be there in half an hour.

She leapt from her bed and into the bathroom for a quick shower. She brushed her teeth for three minutes instead of two, and then stopped to marvel at how she was making an extra effort in anticipation of kissing a woman. A very hot woman.

Shaking her head to clear it of these thoughts, Gail wandered back into her bedroom to get dressed. After deciding on something sexy but not too sexy, she slipped into a pair of (admittedly very short) flannel pajama shorts and a plain white tank top. Checking herself in the mirror before heading out, she realized that you could quite clearly see the deep purple of her bra through the thin material of the tank top. Momentarily, she considered changing before realizing that Holly would definitely get hot and bothered when she showed up in this ensemble. Another mischievous grin appeared on her face as she grabbed her keys and made her way to Holly's.

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As promised, Gail arrived promptly half an hour later. Upon hearing her doorbell, Holly jumped from her couch and strode over the door, butterflies invading the pit of her stomach. She was normally cool and collected around women. She moved with a confidence that was undeniably sexy. With Gail, however, she was always anxious, always wondering what was going to happen next, and the beauty of it was that she never knew. Gail was the most unpredictable person she'd ever met, and that kept things exciting. You never knew when she was going to pull you into a warm embrace, or when she was going to insult you. Holly smiled to herself as she opened the door.

This smile disappeared two seconds later and was replaced with a dropped jaw when she laid eyes upon Gail. She raked her eyes over Gail's whole body, taking in every exposed curve. She took in her toned arms and legs, and the contours of her breasts as much as Gail's tank top would allow. Finally, her eyes landed on her face, where she discovered a smug smile.

"You did this on purpose," Holly accused, still unable to take her eyes off of Gail.

"Absolutely." Gail sauntered into the apartment, purposefully brushing her hip against Holly's as she passed.

Holly looked down at her own attire. She really hadn't put much thought into what she was wearing and was now cursing herself for her plaid pajama pants and old oversized t-shirt. She closed the apartment door and followed Gail into the living room, where she had already made herself at home, sitting at one end of the couch with her feet crossed atop the coffee table.

Not wanting to scare Gail away, Holly mirrored her exact position on the opposite end of the couch. The show returned and she gazed at the television without really seeing it, thoughts occupied by Gail and how to get through the day with the beautiful, irresistibly sexy woman sitting mere feet away.

"Oh, I love this episode!" Gail said excitedly, more to herself than to Holly. She lifted her legs off of the coffee table and pulled her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them to keep them in place.

Holly took Gail's engrossment in the show as an opportunity to look unabashedly at her. Though her balled-up position hid away most of her body, Holly couldn't help but stare. She loved the way Gail looked sitting on her couch like she belonged there. Holly took in Gail's haphazard messy bun that she had thrown her hair into, and wondered how somebody could look so sexy without seemingly have put in much effort at all. Holly noted the smooth skin of her forehead, leading to her ocean blue eyes fixed upon the tv screen. She noticed the gentle slope of her nose and her mouth, lips slightly parted.

"Why are you looking at me?" Gail inquired, eyes never leaving the screen.

Holly quickly averted her gaze and tried to quickly come up with an excuse. "Umm.. Sorry, I just- I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I- I think that you're really beautiful."

Gail turned her eyes to Holly, not knowing how to respond to this confession. She felt an overwhelming rush of emotion towards the pathologist and didn't quite know how to deal with it. Rather than responding, she simply scooted down toward Holly and laid her head in her lap, extending her legs to the other end of the couch. Holly knew better than to make a big deal of this, so she played it safe by laying one arm down over Gail's waist and returning her attention to the episode.

At some point during the episode, Holly's had had found its way to Gail's hair, and she was absentmindedly stroking it. When she realized this, she quickly retracted her hand and placed it on the arm of the couch. However, Gail reached for it and placed it back upon her head.

This made Holly smile and laugh a silent laugh that shook her abdomen. Rather than asking for things or voicing her needs, Gail was one to simply show you what she wanted, or else just do it for you.

"Why are you laughing?" Gail said accusatorily, turning her back to the screen and facing toward Holly. This however, brought her face dangerously close to Holly's center. Realizing how close she was to this extremely intimate spot, Gail shot up and scrambled to the other side of the couch.

This only served to make Holly laugh harder, her entire body now shaking. She gazed adoringly at Gail while her giggles subsided. After regaining her composure, she pushed herself up off of the couch, striding into the kitchen without a word. She still had to be very careful about how she reacted and what she said, for the slightest movement could potentially scare her off.

Having a few minutes to herself, Gail took this time to analyze the situation. She didn't even know what her and Holly were to each other, and quite frankly, she didn't want to think about it. She was simply enjoying her company, and that's all she needed to know. Holly hadn't asked, and Gail was pretty sure she wasn't going to. That's what she liked about Holly. She hadn't and wasn't going to push her into anything. They could just simply _be_ without having to be anything in particular.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Gail's gaze landed on the doorway to the kitchen. Holly kept passing it, grabbing things from different cupboards. Gail watched her, watched the way she moved. She moved with a subtle gracefulness, almost like a cat. She thought back to that first day they had met, when she told Holly that she was like a cat. Though she sort of regretted saying it, afraid of how easily she was opening up to this woman, it actually turned out to be a good metaphor.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Holly coming back into the living room, two cups of coffee in hand. She returned to the kitchen momentarily and came back with two plates of toast and eggs, handing one to Gail.

Before sitting down, Holly reached up under her shirt, itching her ribs. This innocent action caused a large expanse of stomach and hip to be exposed for a few seconds, effectively stunning Gail. She sat there, mouth agape, feeling an intense urge to reach out and find out if the skin was as smooth as it looked. A second later, the shirt was dropped and the spell was broken.

As a way of distraction, Gail hurriedly ate the breakfast that Holly had made her without really asking. She was about to comment on how weird it was that she hadn't even asked if she wanted any, before she realized that she liked it. Holly was taking care of her, and that wasn't weird, it was just something that Gail wasn't used to. She happily munched on her toast and sipped her coffee, falling into a comfortable silence as they watched the doctors and patients flit across the screen.

Gail shot furtive glances in Holly's direction every couple minutes, wondering why Holly seemed a little bit distant. They hadn't said anything to each other in over an hour, and the longer this stretched on, the more uncomfortable Gail became.

After getting caught up in Holly's profile for a few seconds longer than was really socially acceptable, she directed her attention back to the television. She almost spit out her coffee when she saw two of the female surgeons making out on-screen. She coughed and spluttered, cursing herself for reacting so strongly and being such a spaz.

"Are you okay?" Holly asked, a look of concern gracing her face, accompanied by an air of repressed laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

Gail looked around for an excuse to get up and away from this situation, eyes falling upon a hallway off of the living room. "Bathroom?" she asked using one short word.

"Down the hall on the left." Holly said, indicating the general direction.

Gail rushed away, slamming the door when she entered the bathroom. She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face. _Jesus, pull yourself together_, she thought. _She's going to think you're a grade-A loser if you keep freaking out like that_. She dabbed a towel across her face before leaving and walking back into the living room as if nothing had happened.

She looked at the couch for a few seconds before sitting down, trying to determine the safest position for her to be in. She eventually decided on remaining on the opposite side of Holly, and stretching out her legs to string them over Gail's own legs in an attempt to not seem too distant. She was immediately rewarded for this decision, as Holly grabbed them of her own accord and began to massage them.

_Oh my god_, Gail thought, reveling in the pressure Holly was applying to her feet in all the right places. Her head fell back and her mouth fell open as her eyes closed.

Holly registered what this looked like, and felt a rush of sensation wash over her body as goosebumps appeared across her entire body, and then-

"That feels so good, don't stop." Gail breathed softly, letting out small moans.

At this, Holly completely froze, eyes fixed upon Gail. She knew she should look away, should pay attention to the show, to get up and extract herself from the situation, but she was rooted to the spot, a million highly inappropriate images flashing through her mind.

"Hey, why did you-" Gail began, stopping when she took in Holly's face, eyes widened, jaw dropped. Confusedly, she propped herself up on her elbows and was about to ask Holly what the hell the face was for when the pieces finally fell into place. She realized how she must have looked, how she must have sounded, and a fierce blush flooded her cheeks.

Holly closed her eyes as her heart rate returned to a healthy level, and when she re-opened them, she forced herself to act like a rational human being. "I'm, uh- I'm sorry. That was kind of intrusive of me. I didn't mean to see you like- well, you uh.. you looked.. nevermind. It's not important. Just, sorry." She wiped a hand across her forehead and once again returned her attention to the show.

Gail, however, did not look away. She studied Holly, trying to understand why this girl was acting the way she was. Admittedly, Gail had unwittingly put Holly and herself into a somewhat compromising position.. but then _why_ didn't Holly even make an effort to bring this day to the next level? It was obvious that Holly was physically attracted to her. Not once, however, had she tried so much as to hug Gail since she had gotten here. She hadn't touched her intimately in any way, and she definitely hadn't tried to kiss her. Knitting her eyebrows, Gail pondered this until it hit her.

Somewhere in her jumbled memory of their date last, she recalled Holly telling her that she was going to wait for Gail to make the first move next time. Gail smiled as she remembered Holly backtracking, muttering something about not wanting to seem presumptuous. Another blush crept up into her cheeks as she relived their relatively heated make-out session on a street corner.

Gail, after receiving a kick to her gut, courtesy of her own body, realized that more than a small part of her wanted to experience a round two. Her stomach jumped again at this, but she refused to let that deter her. Slowly, she stood up and walked the few paces that existed between where she had been sat and where Holly was perched on the other end of the couch. She stood directly in front of her and looked down at her, calculating her next move.

Holly looked up at her questioningly, a bit confused and more than a little aroused. Gail slipped Holly's glasses off of her face and set them gently on the end table next to her. She then placed one knee on the left side of Holly's legs and one on the right, straddling her. She waited for Holly to make the next move, but when all she did was look up at her in wonder, traces of confusion still etched into her face, Gail sat down, bringing her ass into contact with Holly's thighs.

Holly, afraid of moving too quickly again, still remained frozen. She didn't say anything, wanting Gail to go about this at her own speed.

Gail smiled softly, understanding Holly's deliberate inaction. This, ironically, was the final bit of encouragement she needed before she leaned her head down slightly to meet Holly's lips at the right angle. She pressed a gentle kiss to them and pulled away, looking into Holly's eyes. Her eyebrows were lifted and brought together in a look of sheer vulnerability.

This broke Gail's heart, to see this woman so clearly exerting a huge amount of self-restraint for Gail's sake. This time, she wove her into the hair on the back of Holly's head and pulled her into a slightly more forceful kiss. Soft, light kisses were strung together as Gail's hands moved to cup Holly's face. Holly allowed her hands to move to the middle of Gail's back; a safe and non-threatening position.

Gail debated only briefly before sliding her tongue tantalizingly slowly across the seam where Holly's own lips came together. Holly willingly allowed Gail's tongue to teasingly slip into her mouth and slide against her own tongue as she pulled her closer and dropped her hands a few inches lower to the small of Gail's back.

The kiss quickly gained momentum, and pretty soon, Gail was panting into Holly's mouth, refusing to break the kiss. Wanting to give Gail the air she needed but refused to take for herself, Holly pulled away and instead placed her lips on Gail's neck, trailing soft kisses down to her collarbone. She stopped there, attempting to remain in control, all too aware that Gail could still react negatively to experiencing too much too soon.

After finishing her trail and stopping at Gail's gloriously prominent collabone, Holly looked up into Gail's eyes. What she found there at first alarmed her, but then flooded both her body and mind with a forceful commotion. Gail's eyes had visibly darkened, and the expression she wore was one of pure seduction.

"Gail.. I- um," Holly tried, mouth suddenly dry. She tried again. "I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with, but you're looking at me like that, and if we're being completely honest here, I'm getting extremely turned on."

This confession only fueled Gail's desire more, but she wanted to reassure Holly that she wanted this. "I'll tell you if you're going too far."

"Promise?" Holly looked at her, eyes full of concern.

"Yes." Gail breathed, before wrapping her right hand around the back of Holly's neck and picking up where they had left off. Before they knew it, they were panting again, and this only served to flare up a need in Holly that she could no longer control.

Holly slid her hands all the way down to Gail's ass, squeezing the firm muscle she discovered there. She supposed this was from having to her police training, should she become engaged in a run-down, but she didn't have much time to contemplate it, for Gail now hovered her mouth directly over Holly's ear, breathing heavily into it. She gently pulled Holly's earlobe between her teeth and flicked her tongue over it before pulling back to look into Holly's eyes while biting down on her own bottom lip.

And that was it. The floodgates opened, and even if she wanted to, Holly's couldn't control herself anymore. She crashed their lips together and massaged her tongue against Gail's, nearly passing out when hearing the light moans she was eliciting from her. Wrapping one arm around Gail's back, she slid the other slowly up her stomach and stopped momentarily before reaching Gail's bra in case the officer wanted to stop her. When she met no protests, she slid her hand up and over Gail's breast, lightly stroking her thumb over her nipple through the fabric. When she felt it harden, she let out a moan herself before realizing that Gail was tugging at the bottom of her shirt, trying to remove it. Holly lifted her arms into the air to allow Gail to easily slip it off of her and throw it on the ground.

Holly took her lead and lifted Gail's tank top off in one fluid motion, tossing it onto the coffee table. Holly wrapped her arms around the underside of Gail's butt and lifted her up just enough to lay her down on the couch before lowering herself on top of her. She search Gail's eyes for a sign that she wasn't ready, but Gail smiled that smile at her and she was gone.

She smiled back and began placing kisses to Gail's neck, beginning behind her ear and not stopping until she met the top of Gail's bra. Just as she was about to move the material of her bra out of the way to lavish Gail's breast with more attention, Gail gently pushed her back.

"Wait-" she panted, taking a few seconds to catch her breath.

Holly immediately froze and sat up, allowing Gail the space she needed. "Shit, I did it again. I'm sorry, Gail. I just get so carried away with you."

Gail sat up and grabbed both sides of her face, matching her line of vision with Holly's and looking directly into her eyes. "You did nothing wrong. Please don't think that. I'm just- I'm not sure how, uh.."

"No, don't. You don't have to explain it to me. You're not ready is all you need to say. I understand." Holly shook her head then nodded, assuring Gail that no further explanation was needed.

"Okay." Normally Gail hated when people said that they understood, because they never did. For some reason, though, she suspected that Holly really did understand. She felt that Holly understood her in general in a way that nobody else had ever even tried to. She wasn't put off by all of Gail's defenses, but rather kept returning for more scorn and icy glares. Gail thought that maybe Holly was a masochist, and this thought made her smile in spite of the situation.

Though Holly didn't know why Gail was smiling, she smiled back, because she couldn't help but do so. This was an automatic reaction that she had developed over the past couple weeks of knowing Gail.

Deciding to return to her earlier position of using Holly's thigh as a pillow, Gail stretched her body out as she let out a yawn. She was suddenly overcome with a wave of exhaustion that she hadn't felt coming on, given all the excitement of the previous events.

"Holly?" Gail voiced, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Holly smiled to herself, wondering what she had done to deserve having this beautiful, vivacious, charmingly angry woman drifting off to sleep in her lap.

"Of course," Holly breathed.

But Gail was already fast asleep.

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**Please review on your way out! :)** **They keep me inspired! **


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